Climate change cognition and biodiversity conservation awareness facilitate household clean energy consumption: Evidence from a biodiversity hotspot

Abstract

Household energy consumption significantly contributes to carbon emissions and climate change. In biodiversity hotspots, where energy transition is crucial for both climate action and biodiversity protection, understanding the determinants of clean energy adoption is essential. To bridge this gap, this study integrates psychological factors and proposes a theoretical framework to identify the determinants of clean energy consumption by employing partial least squares structural equation modelling. Using survey data collected from residential households in a biodiversity hotspot, this study reveals that both climate change cognition and biodiversity conservation awareness can facilitate clean energy consumption for cooking, space and water heating through different pathways. These findings contribute to theoretical advancements by extending the existing models of environmental cognition. This study offers new insights into how climate change cognition and biodiversity conservation awareness jointly affect energy use. Combined with household habits and behaviours regarding energy utilisation across different income levels, this study suggests that a smooth transition to clean cooking may be accompanied by a long energy-mix phase, thus necessitating tailored policy packages. Concurrently, the emphasis on clean heating could focus on promoting clean-energy-powered heating appliances to facilitate a rapid shift. Achieving predominant adoption of clean fuel will undoubtedly benefit human health, biodiversity conservation, and climate governance.